Subtly Asian & Proud
On September 18th, 2018, the now Internet-famous Facebook meme group, Subtle Asian Traits, was created by a group of twelve high school seniors from Melbourne, Australia. The name of the Facebook group was a double meaning; the first letters of each word forming the acronym “SAT.” This in turn is a jab at the high importance of standardized testing, and academic stress in general within Asian-American culture. Many Asian-American students can relate to the cultural pressure to perform well academically, and express these sentiments in the form of memes.
Subtle Asian Traits memes often include puns in various Asian languages, from Mandarin and Korean to Burmese. There are also many posts recalling long-forgotten childhood snacks. Frequently, posts feature stereotypical interactions with Asian parents.
Recruiting over one million members in under a span of three months, Subtle Asian Traits has managed to gain a significant following internationally, including here at Lexington High School.
“I heard of Subtle Asian Traits from a friend right before it blew up in Lexington,” says Keena Gao, a junior. “I think it brings people together because it lets us embrace the quirky traits that are unique to the Asian community. It also definitely allows for people to share their sense of humor.”
Here at LHS, Subtle Asian Traits appears to have mostly acclaimed fame in only the Asian community. This makes sense as most of the people in Subtle Asian Traits are Asian students invited by other Asians.
An example of a popular Subtle Asian Traits meme includes a picture of Pikachu looking surprised, indicating a shocked reaction at a particular event. For instance, a caption with this picture could say, “When the only A on your report card is in your name,” or “When your teacher actually pronounces your name correctly.” This meme originated from the popular Pokémon TV series that had dominated the childhoods of many Asian teenagers.
Overall, Subtle Asian Traits has provided a platform for teenagers of Asian descent all over the world to communicate their common struggles, while being able to laugh about them.
~~~~
From my personal perspective, Subtle Asian Traits is simply a Facebook group in which funny experiences are shared: I can tag my friends in memes and have a good laugh. In Lexington, the Asian-American identity can be taken for granted at times - over one-third of our student body is part of the Asian community. It is important to note that for many Asian-American students living in areas where they feel culturally alone, a Facebook page like Subtle Asian Traits can provide them some form of relatability they may struggle to grasp in their everyday life. This way, Asian students can reclaim the varied, idiosyncratic experiences of the Asian identity in a humorous light.
by ATHENA LI